At issue is whether Ferrari is giving its star driver a car with a strategy to win a world title. A quick start has turned into one issue after another.
For the fourth race in a row, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was unable to convert pole position into a race victory. This time it was at Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Leclerc also retired for the second time in three races due to reliability issues.
Leclerc’s poor run has enabled reigning World Champion Max Verstappen to open up a 34-point lead in the Drivers World Championship. Verstappen also has the added luxury of having teammate Sergio Perez between himself and Leclerc in the championship standings.
All of this has happened since the Australian Grand Prix. Before then, Leclerc had won two out of the opening three races of the season, and Verstappen had suffered two retirements due to reliability. At that point, everyone questioned Red Bull and praised Ferrari. However, five races and four Verstappen victories later, Red Bull is the team to beat, and (now) it is Ferrari that has to answer serious questions regarding reliability, race pace, and team strategy.
For Leclerc and Ferrari, it has been one thing after another. He made a mistake in the third position at Imola and dropped to finish sixth. He then failed in Miami to convert a pole position into victory when Leclerc conceded the lead to Verstappen. He also could not convert pole positions into victories in Spain (reliability) and Monaco (poor team strategy).
The pattern of constant issues has analysts and fans questioning whether Ferrari has the car and strategic knowledge to challenge for a world title. That said. championship momentum can change quickly in Formula One. It is still early in the season, and we have already seen a flip-flop from Ferrari to Red Bull dominance.
Still, one has to wonder if Leclerc and Ferrari will be able to regain their early-season mojo. One reason is whether Ferrari gives Leclerc a solid chance to win. In Monaco, Leclerc led the race when Ferrari decided to pit him for intermediate tyres on a quickly drying track, meaning they had to pit again for slick (dry) tyres just a few laps later. This poor strategy decision dropped Le Clerc from the lead to the fourth position at a track where it is almost impossible to overtake.
Ferrari is undoubtedly quick over a single lap, as shown by earning six pole positions over eight races. But race day is a different story. Red Bull has constantly been the better car, winning six of eight races despite starting on the pole in only two of those races.
Every Formula One fan wants to see a close title battle that goes down to the last race–just like it did last year between Verstappen and Hamilton. However, the current feeling is that Ferrari is failing to deliver their star driver with a race car that can win a world title. If Ferrari doesn’t get on top of their current issues–and quickly–then the championship momentum won’t change, and Max Verstappen and Red Bull could race away to 2022 World Championship glory.
